Wisconsin

Brookfield 5th-grader gets Veterans Day surprise — visit from Dad

Kent Jones, who spent 22 years in the special forces and is now an Army counterinsurgency adviser to U.S. military and coalition forces, surprises his son, Julian Jones, at Dixon Elementary School in Brookfield on Monday.

Julian Jones put down the book he was reading. His mouth opened. His face lit up.

And then the 10-year-old hugged his dad for the first time in three months, as his teacher and fifth-grade classmates at Dixon Elementary School in Brookfield burst into applause.

On Monday, Kent Jones arrived at Mitchell International Airport at the end of his 36-hour journey home from Afghanistan. His first stop? His son's classroom.

"What a treat it is for me to come home on Veterans Day," said the 56-year-old civilian contractor working for the U.S. Department of Defense as a counterinsurgency adviser.

He spent 22 years in the Army Special Forces and was deployed for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. On his last trip to Afghanistan he worked with U.S. and coalition forces stationed in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.

Julian expected to see his father when he got home from classes. He was delighted with the early visit.

"I was really surprised that he came to school," said Julian, who was reading with his book group when his teacher pointed out the visitor standing in the doorway.

Wearing black cargo pants and hiking boots with Afghan sand still in the treads, Kent Jones read a picture book called "The Wall" to Jane Fleming's 29 students, who sat cross-legged on the floor. Julian sat next to his dad, looking at the face of a father who has spent much of the last two years in Afghanistan.

The book told the story of a little boy who visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington with his father to see his grandfather's name etched in the shiny black granite. The students applauded when he finished reading and then peppered him with questions — Was he scared? Did he carry a gun? Was he injured? Was he in a war? What was the hardest part about serving in the Army?

Sometimes. Yes. Yes, but not seriously. Yes. Leaving his family.

"All of the veterans that fought in the current wars and all of the wars before that have done it for one reason — to protect our freedoms," Jones said.

He told the students he always carried pictures of his family on his smartphone when he was in Afghanistan.

When his travel plans home changed at the last moment, Kent Jones decided to come to Julian's school on Monday. Fittingly, it was Veterans Day when students at the K-5 elementary school were talking about veterans, and the fourth-grade chorus had sung the national anthem during morning announcements.

"The surprise was the best part," Kent Jones said. "I think my son was in total shock and awe."

About Meg Jones

Meg Jones is a general assignment reporter who specializes in military and veterans issues. Meg was part of a team that was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2003, and has been honored by the Milwaukee Armed Forces Committee for her coverage.